


Super Power

by Lint



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-28 00:10:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16230152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lint/pseuds/Lint
Summary: Twins are rare on Krypton.Rarer still that one of a set would give birth to a pair of their own.





	Super Power

 

The last time Kara remembers her heart beating this fast, she was saying goodbye to her mother, her father, as the world around them was going up in flames. Underneath the shower's steady stream she can't help but replay the event in her head, it the only viable comparison to what she'd just done. She can still feel the fuselage of the plane along her fingertips. Smell the smoke of two engines on fire. The literal weight of a few tons of flying machine above her, and the metaphoric of the hundreds of souls inside.

 

Her hands shake as she reaches for the soap, washing away the dried salt feel of the bay's water from her skin, as her breath still hitches with every flash of the wondrous thing she'd done. So this is what it's like, she thinks. This is how it feels. The smile that comes from the sensation is so wide her lips may crack. Rao, how had she never let herself do it before?

 

Pizza is the first thing that comes to mind when her stomach rumbles, as she goes for the frozen one conveniently available in her fridge, popping it into the oven and turning toward the TV to check the news. The gasp escapes her throat at the sight of an unexpected guest suddenly in the middle of her living room.

 

“Kala,” she says in surprise.

 

A smile appears instantly on her sister's face.

 

“You haven't called me that in ages.”

 

“Yeah well,” Kara replies with a shrug. “You asked me not to. You asked us all not to.”

 

Kala nods, knowing she had.

 

For a few awkward moments they simply stand there, taking each other in, mirror images except for a few minor details. It's been nearly a year since they've seen one another, or spoken at all, the memory of that humongous fight echoing inside their ears. But then Kara steps forward at the same time Kala does, embracing each other as if no time had passed at all.

 

“Hi,” Kara says softly against her shoulder.

 

“Hi,” Kala repeats, with a squeeze.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“Mystery woman saves flight 237 in National City,” Kala answers. “This shocking footage must been seen to be believed, more after these messages.”

 

Kara laughs against her.

 

“I knew it was you,” Kala continues. “I mean, obviously. But an entire plane, through a bridge, on your first try? Even Kal was impressed.”

 

“Kal knows?”

 

“He's the one who called and told me to turn on the news.”

 

Kara is surprisingly pleased by this.

 

“Is he on his way, too?”

 

Kala laughs.

 

“No, I told him to let me take this one. I thought, well...

 

Kala squeezes tighter.

 

“I'm sorry,” she apologizes. “For our fight. For what I said.”

 

“It's okay,” Kara replies automatically.

 

“No it isn't,” Kala insists.

 

She pulls back so they face each other.

 

“I missed you,” she admits. “So much. It was killing me to be apart. To not even talk to you. But I just, with what I said, I didn't know how to try.”

 

Tears sting at Kara's eyes, but she doesn't let them fall, instead letting her hands drop to collect Kala's gloved ones, giving a reassuring squeeze.

 

“You cut your hair,” she says to lighten the mood, one hand lifting to tease a lock that falls just below her sister's chin.

 

“Do you like it?”

 

Kara regards the stylish bob a moment longer.

 

“It definitely suits you.”

 

She then looks down at her sister's costume, that familiar mix of white and blue with their family's crest adorned on her chest, but something is different about it.

 

“New cape?”

 

Kala nods.

 

“That over the shoulder thing wasn't working for me anymore. Martha was more than happy to help me with an adjustment.”

 

“Looks good,” Kara agrees.

 

The oven dings that it's reached proper temperature, catching Kala's attention.

 

“Pizza?”

 

“Of course,” Kara confirms. “I was just about to check the news myself,” she goes on. “If you want to stay and share?”

 

Kala smiles. “I've got no place else to be.”

 

-

 

Kara squeals around a mouth full of food at the sight of herself on TV, instinctively reaching for Kala's hand, who grins against her own slice as Kara recounts every breath taking detail of her first foray into super heroism.

 

“Oh my god,” interrupts Kara's recount, as both girls head's turn quickly to woman standing just behind them.

 

“Alex,” Kara shouts. “Hey!”

 

She looks none too pleased, eyes heavy with anxious trepidation, but any lecture she had planned to lay onto Kara fades at the sight of Kala sitting on the couch.

 

“Karen,” she says bewildered. “What are you doing here?”

 

Kala throws an arm around Kara's shoulder.

 

“It's not every day a member of the noble House of El decides to join the family business,” she says seriously.

 

“Family business?” Alex questions.

 

“Being a hero,” Kala goes on. “Saving people.”

 

Alex and Kara share a look.

 

“Kara?”

 

“I didn't travel two thousand light years just to be an assistant,” she answers meekly.

 

Alex doesn't look like she likes that answer at all.

 

“It's not safe,” she insists. “For you to anything like that. Ever again.”

 

Kala stands up then, looking oddly out of place in her costume, posturing toward her big sister with one hand on her hip.

 

“She saved your life, Alex. She saved all those people's lives.”

 

“I know that,” Alex replies. “It's just-”

 

“It's already out there,” Kala carries on. “She's already out there. No going back now.”

 

Both Alex and Kala look to Kara.

 

“I don't want to go back,” she confirms.

 

Kala steps closer to Alex, wrapping her in an awkward hug.

 

“Don't worry,” she assures into her sister's ear. “Power Girl will show her the ropes.”

 

Alex, despite her reservations, hugs back.

 

“That's exactly what I'm afraid of.”

 

/\

 

_Twins are rare on Krypton._

 

_Rarer still that one of a set would give birth to a pair of their own._

 

_For the first five cycles of their lives, Kara and Kala Zor-El are subjected to continual inquiry of the science council. As is their mother Alura, and aunt Astra. Genetics are a streamlined affair. Family lineage can be mapped as easily as continents, and any stray from the norm can be met with curiosity, along with despondency. A pair of twins, identical or not, may come once or twice in a decade among the entire planet's population. Certainly not in consecutive generations, from the same family tree, and for this they are met with a scrutinizing investigation, interrogation, and examination. To some they are simply an anomaly meant to be studied. To others warning flag that they no matter how much they think they know, there are still things that can be learned. To a select few, they are heresy of the highest order and much be dealt with accordingly._

 

_For all the years of study, there is no definitive answer for their birth, and for this seeds of doubt will bloom into weeds among the noble house of El._

 

_Doubt distilled into doom for an entire planet._

 

/\

 

Kara sits atop the roof of Catco Worldwide Media, legs dangling over the edge of the massive skyscraper, trying her best to drown out the white noise that super hearing can't help to pick up. Her cheeks still burn red from earlier, the massive mistake of almost blowing up an oil tanker caught on camera for all of National City, and the country to see.

 

Supergirl or Super menace? Reporters are already asking this. She's been a hero for almost a week. Surely there's some leeway that can be given if she's still learning? Her hair flips up from a quick rush of air, and suddenly there is Kala, floating right in front of her.

 

“I see Cat Grant finally got her Supergirl,” She says in way of greeting.

 

Kara chuckles softly, remembering upon Kala's debut the reporter tried pretty aggressively to saddle her with the moniker, and how Kala simply brushed it off and refused to answer to it. Choosing Power Girl instead, because she wasn't their cousin's sidekick, and it was as good a name as any other. (Despite any confusion wearing their family's crest on her chest caused, with the general population always seeing it as an S.)

 

“It grew on me,” Kara admits.

 

Kala smiles at her.

 

“You hanging in there, champ?”

 

Kara only shakes her head in reply, and Kala floats closer before twisting to take a seat next to her sister.

 

“You wanna talk about it?”

 

Kara shakes her head again, to which Kala nods.

 

“Then I'll let you in on something. They expect perfection. Whether you've been doing this for a day, or a decade, no one down there thinks you will ever screw up. Or even be capable of screwing up like a regular person. That you have feelings of your own. The costume you put on, means you will never fail, because Rao help them if you do.”

 

Kara looks to her, eyes wide.

 

“How can anyone possibly live up to that?”

 

“You can't,” Kala answers seriously. “But every day, do the best you can. Give all you have to give. Sooner or later, they'll come to realize that.”

 

“If they don't?”

 

Kala throws an arm around her.

 

“Remember how much bad press I got when I started? They even suggested that Kal sideline me, I was such a wrecking ball. Lois wrote that article about why the world doesn't need Power Girl, but did I quit? No. I kept trying. You know why?”

 

Kara, in fact, does not know why.

 

“Because I had you, encouraging me to keep going.”

 

She smiles.

 

“This is me returning that favor.”

 

Kara laughs softly.

 

“I like your costume,” Kala offers up after a moment.

 

Kara is quick to look down at it, busying her hands with smoothing out the skirt.

 

“Thanks. My friend Winn made it for me.”

 

They're quiet a moment, Kala drops her arm from Kara's shoulder to her side.

 

“Can I ask you something?” Kara inquires.

 

“Of course.”

 

“Did you know about Alex? The DEO?”

 

Kala's silence is an answer all its own.

 

“Were either of you ever going to tell me?”

 

Kala sighs.

 

“It's a need to know organization,” she answers. “And you didn't need to know.”

 

Kara shoots an incredulous look.

 

“She's my sister,” she fires back. “You're my sister. And you've both been lying to me this whole-”

 

Kala throws up a hand, cutting her off.

 

“You were a civilian,” comes her retort. “And treated accordingly. Just because you're also an alien doesn't mean you get debriefed on classified information. You didn't want to be a part of it, so you weren't.”

 

Kara flinches slightly, stung.

 

“Oh,” she replies quietly.

 

“I'm sorry,” Kala is quick to apologize. “I didn't mean to-”

 

“No, it's fine. You're right. I didn't want to be part of it.”

 

“But now you are.”

 

“Yeah,” Kara scoffs. “It's going so well, too.”

 

“It's only going to get harder.”

 

Kara nods.

 

“But you'll get better.”

 

“You sound so sure.”

 

“Of course I'm sure,” Kala laughs, grabbing her hand. “Do you remember that terrible summer we spent with Kal?”

 

“In his tiny apartment,” Kara fills in. “And he was barely ever home.”

 

“He was supposed to teach us,” Kala goes on. “How to use our powers. How to hide them.”

 

“But never really did.”

 

“No,” Kala agrees. “He didn't. But I do remember it was me wanting to learn how to control them.”

 

“And I wanted to learn how to hide.”

 

Kala looks out to the city.

 

“We did learn how to do that,” she offers. “Nearly three months in that apartment, hidden away from the Danvers. The world. But what did I do? I goaded you into flying with me. Every day I bitched, moaned, and begged. Every day you gave in.”

 

Kara smiles at the memory.

 

“You remember what else?”

 

Kara looks to her, curious.

 

“You beat me. Every day. No matter how fast. No matter how far. The girl who didn't even want to use her powers, beat me.”

 

Kala turns back to her.

 

“That's why you're going to get better,” she informs. “Because you are. You always were.”

 

Tears fill the corners of Kara's eyes, but somehow they don't fall.

 

“Thank you,” she offers softly.

 

“House of El, big sister. Stronger together.”

 

/\

 

_A shared room. A shared bed, though they were provided with two separate, neither girl is comfortable in their own most nights. So much is new and none of it is shiny. New family. New names. New planet._

_A baby cousin they thought they'd have to protect, fully grown, yet incapable of taking care of them in return._

 

_The first words Kala speaks all day, in their native tongue because finally no one is listening, is to express concern about their new adoptive family. The mother and father seem alright, though neither girl fully understands why they would agree to take them in, all at their cousin's behest. The daughter however, regards the pair with such trepidation, Kala doesn't understand how they're supposed exist in cohabitation._

 

_Kara's only input to the conversation is that they seem nice._

 

_Kala starts to cry, with the fleeting thought that they should have just stayed with their parents, while Kara holds her and makes a promise to be strong._

 

 


End file.
